Whether or not that discount was the incentive that swung Singapore’s NOL-APL is not certain. Sarah Lockie, the new VP for corporate communications at NOL, agreed that the decision to use PTP for the West Asia Express service boiled down to "commercial reasons", but would not confirm whether the port had offered the operator a substantial discount on Singapore rates to clinch the deal. "We like to look at the options and do what makes good commercial sense," she noted, adding that that enabled the company to position equipment for local and other markets economically.

Neither Lockie nor Sidik want to major on discounts. Instead, Johore’s lower cost base, location and faster turnround are offered as reasons for dropping the long-established PSA Corp for the relatively unknown PTP.

Other incentives are under negotiation, including lower warehousing costs, office space rates and priority or dedicated berthing. Sidik makes some valuable points. A new port can be flexible and can set tariffs around customer requirements in a way older facilities cannot. Two of the six berths planned under phase one of the development are open and half the 18 super post-Panamax container cranes have been installed. When the first phase is fully developed, PTP will offer an annual handling capacity of 3.8M TEU.

However there must be doubts as to the region’s need for PTP. If it were a question of lower rates, there must be cheaper ways to meet customer requirements than constructing an enormous new port a stone’s throw from the world’s premier facility. If it were a question of persuading PSA Corp to be more customer-orientated, there can be few companies more flexible than PSA Corp. So why the move by NOL?

Whatever the reason, it’s surely a sign that Flemming Jacobs has been given more leeway to look beyond the republic’s boundaries. Possibly it says more about the new NOL than had been thought.